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J. D. OOTTRELL. Let-Off Mechanism for Looms.

No. 225,348. Patented Mar. 9, I880;

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N'FETERS. PHOTO-UTNOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON, D, C.

' UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JESSE D. QOTTRELL, OF CENTRAL FALLS, RHODE ISLAND.

LET-OFF MECHANISM FOR LOOMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 225,348, dated March 9, 1880.

Application filed October 1, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jnssn D. Go'rrnnLL, of Central Falls, in the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Let-Off Mechanisms for Looms; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1' represents a side view of the frame of a loom carrying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a perspective view of a rear corner of the loom-frame carrying the let-otfmeohanism. Fig. 3 represents a rear section of the letofi mechanism, taken on line .00 00 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 represents a modification of the let-off mechanism in side elevation. Fig. 5 represents, in perspective, an inner view of the let off pawl detached.

This invention relates to mechanisms used to gradually let off the warp of looms and relieve as well as regulate the increasing strain upon said Warp in weaving light or heavy fabrics.

Heretofore the warp of looms has been retained under tension either by applying frio tion to the warp-beam or to its connections. It has also been retained by combinations of gears and weights or springs, or by means of escapements with ratchet or stud wheels; but the difficulty with the last-mentioned means is that the diameter of the warp-beam is constantly changing while in use, and the 'escapement or let-off of one tooth of the ratchetwheel produces a different result in the weaving when the warp-beam is full from what it does when the beam is partly unrolled or when it is nearly uncovered, producing unevenness in the cloth.

One objection to the weight as heretofore used is that with quick-running looms it has not time to stop or reach its lowest point before it is taken up again by the beat of the lay, thus causing a shock or strain on the warp.

To remedy this defect and provide a let-01f mechanism which shall allow the warp-beam to rotate a segment of its circumference corresponding to a fraction of the distance between tvvemonsecutive studs of a ratchet or stud wheel according to the tension on said warp and independent of the size of the warpbeam has been the object of my previous invention, for which I obtained Letters Patent September 9, 1879, in which a stud-wheel is shown adapted to operate thelet-ofi'in conslide up and down between guides.

The object is to reduce the friction on the a pawl while in operation and to render it independent of any rigid connection with the whiproll, so that it can be disconnected therefrom and the warp-beam turned back, if desired, by the weaver without lifting the weight or moving the whip-roll.

Another object of my invention is to produce a let-0E mechanism capable of operating as well upon light fabrics as upon heavy goods,- and render it more effective and readily adjustable for that purpose than any other with which I am acquainted, by connecting the whip-roll with a spring-rod capable of adj ustment and a weight combined therewith upon the same rod, and adapted to operate singly or together.

In my improvement the spring takes up the slack of the warp while the weight is remaining at rest. The latter is used only when extra strain is required to beat up the filling, and it has then but little motion.

My invention consists in the combination of a wheel provided with studs projecting from its side and the frame of a loom, a stud projecting from said frame, and, pivoted to said stud, a spring-pawl provided with three or more parallel pallets of different lengths to engage with said wheel and regulate its motion.

It consists, also, in the combination of the whip-roll of a loomand an arm projecting jection forms also a handle.

nearly horizontally therefrom, a rod suspended from said arm and carrying an adjustable spring, and also a collar adapted to lift a weight placed upon said rod to balance said whip-roll and regulate the tension on the warp.

It consists, also, in the combination of the whip-roll and an arm projecting nearly hori-.

zontally therefrom and controlled by a spring or weight, another arm projecting downward and engaging with a pawl pivoted to the frame, and provided with three or more pallets adapted to engage successively with each stud projecting from the side of a wheel, the shaft of which is to be geared with the warp-beam of a loom, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, A represents the side frame of a loom, the breast-beam being at A and the warp-beam at B. The latter is provided with journals adapted to revolve in the frame at a.

Secured to the warp-beam is a gear-wheel, O, meshing with a pinion, cl, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1,) placed upon the inner end of the shaft 01, passing through bearings secured to the frame. The outer end of the shaft 01 carries a wheel, E, having a series of studs, 6, projecting from its side near its outer edge.

These-studs are preferably flat or elliptical in cross-section, and areto arrest the motion of said wheel'E when they come in contact with the pallets of the pawl F. This pawl is pivoted on a stud, a, projecting from the side of the frame of the loom, and is operated in the following manner: To one end of the whip-roll G is secured a bell-crank lever having one of its arms, g, normally approaching a horizontal position, and an arm, g, assuming a nearly Vertical position under the axis of the whiproll. To the arm 9 may be attached simply a spring or a weight to keep its extremity depressed and the whip-roll elevated; but the fabric made would not have the evenness that I attain with my combined spring and weight, and they will be described hereinafter. The end of the arm g cannot be depressed beyond a certain limit, as the arm 9 carries a pin, 9 projecting from .its inner side to rest against the rear side of the loom. The arm g carries also, as a prolongation, an arm, 9 preferably adjustably connected thereto, and extending far enough to engage with the pawl F, as this pawl is provided with the arm f, projecting from its side, to enable the lever g to engage with and move the pawl, and such arm orpro- This handle is kept in contact with the arm g by a spring, h, coiled upon the stud a, and having one end attached to said stud or to the frame of the loom, and the other end secured, under tension,

to the pawl F.

The pin g above mentioned, may project from the arm g through a slot in the arm g, and thus be rendered adjustablein relation to its distance from the axis of the whip-roll and to the are it is to describe to adapt it to variously-framed looms. The length of this are may also be regulated by an adjustable rest or cushion, of suitable material and thickness, secured to the rear of the loom-frame, where the pin g is to strike it.

The pawl F is provided upon its inner face with a series of pallets, f f f f, either straight or partly circular, with the axis of the pawl-stud as a center, but made for engagement with the studs 0. These pallets are of different lengths.

The pallet f is the farthest from the pawlpivot, and when connected to a1oom,as shown, arrests first one of the studs of the stud-wheel. The pallet f extends, as the pallet f from the edge of the pawl, but is longer than the latter and requires a more decided retracting movement of the pawl (caused by the whip-roll) to allow said stud to escape under said pallet f. The pallet f is still longer, and will require an additional depression of the whip-roll before the stud engaged between the pallets will escape under it. Although the front end of the pallet f is extended still farther from the rear of the pawl, it is not as long as the pallet f and allowsthe above-mentioned stud of the wheel to escape in the rear of said pallet f (luring the oscillations of the pawl, and allows the device to let off the warp. The same operation is to be repeated upon the stud following, each stud jumping one or more pallets at a time, according to the size of the warpbeam and the let-01f required.-

The pawl is shown as standing vertically;

but it may be pivoted to the frame so as to form an angle with a vertical line, or be even horizontal, according to the form of the loomframe and the point where it may be most convenient to pivot it.

To produce a let-off mechanism capable of operating as well upon light as upon heavy goods, and also to render it adjustable, I have counterbalanced the whip-roll and the warptension brought to bear upon it in the following manner: To the extremity of the arm 9 of the bell-erank secured to the end of the whip-roll I suspend a rod, h, the lower extremity of which passes through a bracket, *5, secured to the frame of the loom. Upon this rod is placed a coiled spring, 70, hearing at its lower end upon a'collar, h, secured adjust- IIO ably on said rod by means of a screw, 1, the

bored yoke or rod, j, loosely embracing the rod h. This yoke is retained in position by rods j, secured to the brackett' either by their hooked ends or otherwise, and allows the spring to force the rod h down by pressing upon its collar 11/. By means of this spring, as located and adapted to be adjusted, I can give the desired tension to the warp independently of the strain required to beat in the filling, either for light or heavy goods. Loosely surrounding the lower portion of the rod h is the weight m, resting in its normal condition upon the bracket '5, and adapted to be lifted by a collar, k adjustably secured upon the rod h by a screw, 1, this last collar being placed either under the bail m of the weight or under the latter, but at a short distance from it, to allow thecentral rod sufficient play to be first controlled by the spring while each stud e of the wheel E is passing between the first two or three pallets of the pawl.

The modification shown'in Fig. 4 represents substantially the same device as shown in a portion of Figs. 1, 2, and 3, only it may probably be thus cheaper to construct, having only one rod, j, bent at j to form the upper rest for the spring, and the bracket 1' has an opening sufficiently large to receive loosely the weight m, its liftingcollar k being placed at a short distance thereunder upon the central rod, h.

To adjust the mechanism so as to weave such light goods as lawns, the collars h and h are lowered on the rod h, and the resistance of the spring is thus diminished. The weight used may also be very light. For heavy goods the collar h is secured on the central rod, so

as to lift the weight when the lay comes in contact with the fabric or when one of the studs on the wheel is about to leave the first pallet;

By my present construction the pawl is so far independent from the whip-roll pendent lever and from the stud-wheel that it can be moved back by its handle f, and the warp-beam turned back, if desired, without requiring the lifting of the weight or compression of the spring Is.

The stud-wheel E is represented in the form of a disk; but it may be of a light skeleton form, composed of a central hub and a series of light arms, each carrying a stud near its extremity, and when thus constructed it will be more sensitive and easily controlled in the pose specified.

2. The combination of the whip-roll of a loom, an arm secured to the end and projecting nearly horizontally therefrom, a rod suspended from said arm, an adjustable spring placed upon said rod and sustained by a collar attached thereto, and a weight, also connected to said rod, to be elevated thereby, with a perforated rest and guide for said weight and rod, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination of the whip-roll of a loom, an arm projecting nearly horizontally therefrom, a rod suspended from said arm, and also a spring and adjustable collar around said rod, with a weight controlled by the same rod and whip-roll, and another arm projecting downward and en gaging with a pivoted pawl, said pawl being provided with three or more pallets to engage successively with each stud projecting from the side of a wheel, and said wheel-mounted on a shaft adapted to be connected to the warp-beam of a loom, substantially as described.

4. In a let-off mechanism for looms, the co mbination, with the frame of a loom, of the whip-roll, a pendent arm secured thereto and carrying a pin, g projecting from its inner side against said frame, an arm, g, projecting nearly horizontally from the whip-roll, and a spring and weight, placed one above the other upon adjustable collars, and inclosing a rod suspended from said horizontal arm 9 to control the whip-roll in its motion, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. In a let-ofl' mechanism for looms, the combination of the whip-roll, a bell-crank lever secured thereto provided with a pin, g projecting from. its inner side, an arm, 9 a stud wheel, and a pawl journaled to the frame, said pawl having a lug, f, to engage the arm 9 a spring, h, and a series of parallel or concentric pallets, substantially as and for the purpose described.

JESSE D. OOTTEELL.

\Vitnesses:

CHAS. 1?. Moms, CHAS. H. LAWTON. 

